The United Nations’ refugee agency has been vocal about the benefits of biometric identification for those in its charge for years, but recently the organization invoked this technology in its own defense. The UNHCR was responding to an extensive investigative report from NBC alleging widespread corruption at the refugee agency. Usually this involves bribery in…
After a high-level tour of refugee centers in Bangladesh, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is more convinced than ever of the importance of biometric IDs for helping displaced people. The visit was conducted by Volker Türk, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations’ refugee agency, who visited Bangladesh to assess…
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repeatedly called for the adoption of biometric platforms that make it easier to manage refugee populations. Now, Distilled Identity and Emerge have forged a partnership to fulfill that request. The two companies have announced Homeward, a new platform that uses biometric data to create a self-sovereign…
“Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency is deploying automated biometric identification systems to camps housing the displaced individuals, with officials currently training government staff.” With heavy rains having caused serious flooding across rural areas in Nigeria earlier this year, the country’s government is looking to biometric technology to help identify displaced persons. According to a government…
Today, July 31, 2018, marks the official start of Canada’s expanded biometric border screening program that mandates all European, African and Middle Eastern nationals applying for a visitor visa, a work study permit, or for permanent residence must provide fingerprint biometrics and a photo. The biometrics collected are valid for a period of ten years…
Canadian immigration authorities are preparing for an administrative challenge as the country expands its biometric screening program, announcing that they will open new registration centers to accommodate heightened demand. The expansion is set to begin on July 31st, when visitors from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa will be required to provide biometric data –…
Canada’s biometric border screening program is going to expand dramatically this year with new requirements applying to visitors from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Currently, Canadian border authorities collect biometric data including fingerprints from refugees, asylum claimants, and visa applicants coming from 30 ‘high risk’ countries of origin. But starting July 31st, the program…
The UNHCR’s use of biometric identification for refugees is helping the organization to make the case for additional funding for displaced Syrians. The United Nations’ refugee agency is pressing the case for funding ahead of a deadline this month that will see cash assistance for Syrian refugees run out. Some 5.6 million people have been…
Biometric ID cards and new legislation are now helping refugees in Ecuador to rebuild their lives. The legislation has provided the catalyst: Essentially, it grants residents of Ecuador in possession of refugee cards the same rights as the country’s national ID cards. That means refugees who present their IDs when applying for a job or…
All over the world national governments are turning to biometrics for civil ID. Successful large scale implementations of biometrics-based national ID are emboldening countries – from the Philippines to France – to register their citizens for reasons as far ranging as naked payments and financial inclusion, to digital democracy and national security. This week, for…
September is Government Applications Month at FindBiometrics, during which we are placing a featured focus on the identity management and strong authentication technologies that keep modern society secure, convenient, and safe. From military ID and physical access control, to border security, law enforcement and next-gen voting, biometric technology has become a key component of the…
It’s World Refugee Day, a time to bring focused attention to a complex issue that is increasingly in the news. According to the UNHCR, the UN agency most directly concerned with refugee issues, one in every 113 people in the world are refugees from war or political violence, with an estimated total of 65 million…
German officials are planning to use speech recognition technology to help identify the countries of origin of the many migrants applying for refugee status. The Federal Migration Office (BAMF) already employs linguists covering a range of languages, but as of the start of the year faced a backlog of 430,000 refugee applications as the country…
Last week at FindBiometrics we continued to unpack our Year in Review 2016 results—looking at the most interesting modalities and the impending death of the password—while biometric elections, innovations in mobility, and advanced security made up the bulk of the headlines. Here is a look back on last week’s top stories in global identity management:…
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is now working with government authorities in Chad to register stateless refugees in an identity program that uses biometrics to ensure such individuals have official and reliable identification. It’s an important effort in Chad, which has seen an influx of refugees from war-torn neighbour the Central African Republic.…
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is urging Malaysia’s government to let it introduce a biometric identity card to refugees fleeing from neighboring Myanmar. Most of the refugees are ethnic Rohingya Muslims facing persecution and oppression from the largely Buddhist majority in Myanmar. The sheer volume of refugees alone is cause for concern…